“You said weak wasn’t a word you’d use to describe me.” His jaw ticked. “I’m a far weaker man than you realize.” With that, he lay down and rolled over in the sand. “Let’s get some sleep. With any luck, we’ll be reunited with my crew tomorrow.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Is she dead?” a voice said from over me, and either I was dreaming about Driscoll or Driscoll had somehow found me. That latter seemed more likely.
“No, she’s not dead, you idiot.” That would be Leoni.
“Captain!” another voice said.
Captain... Bastian. My eyes flew open as the events of the previous night flooded my mind. There stood Driscoll, Leoni, Bartholomew, and Mia, staring down at me—and Bastian, whom I was currently curled up against while his soft snores filled the air. My body must’ve instinctually made its way to his while we slept last night.
Traitor.
I elbowed him. Hard. He let out a grunt and shot up, eyes rimmed with red, hair messy and tangled, which should’ve looked bad, but instead it made him even sexier in a rumpled kind of way. Faint blue lines stretched from his neck, barely visible and small, almost just dots at this point. He must’ve forgotten to take his elixir.
Driscoll raised his eyebrows suggestively, and I made a “cut it out” face as I stood and cleared my throat.
Leoni crossed her arms. “What do we have here?”
Mia stepped forward, an edge to her voice. “Yes, what do we have here?”
My gaze bounced between Leoni and Mia. She seemed as annoyed with Bastian as Leoni was with me at finding us cuddling.
More than cuddling. Images of last night flashed through my mind, and I let out a shaky exhale. “I jumped off the plank to get to Porth so I could see the site where my father’s ship was found.”
Leoni’s mouth dropped open.
“And what’s your excuse, Cap?” Mia asked Bastian, tugging at her yellow bandana, her fiery gaze set on him.
Bastian placed his hands on his knees. “I?—”
“He fell in after me,” I cut him off. “He caught me getting ready to jump and tried to pull me back from the plank. We both got swept away, and I used my magic to get us safely to land. Simple as that.”
The group glanced at each other like they didn’t believe it was that simple at all. Bastian gave me a questioning look that I ignored. I didn’t need Leoni hovering any more than she already was, and if she knew Bastian jumped in after me, she’d be hounding me, telling me not to fall for his charms again.
“How did you all find us?” I crossed my arms and used a commanding tone like they were the ones on trial here.
Bartholomew shifted on his feet. “We hoped you both made it to Porth since this is the nearest land for miles, so we docked and asked around early this morning. Some fisherman said they saw two people near the shore on the opposite side of the island, probably sleeping off some ale after a night at the tavern, but we decided to check it out anyway, and here we are. Everyone else is back in town, getting supplies.”
I rushed into Leoni’s arms and even roped Driscoll in for a hug. “Well, however you found us, I’m glad for it.”
“Let’s get back to the ship,” Bastian said, and my head snapped to him.
“Absolutely not. We’re here, and I’m going to the site where you found my father’s ship.”
A vein throbbed in Bastian’s temple. “We don’t have time for this. In case you’re forgetting, we’ve got a wedding to attend.”
“We have plenty of time for this. It won’t take but a few hours. Unless you’re hiding something?”
I let the challenge of my words hang in the air.
Bastian met my gaze, a challenge of his own flashing across his face.
“Well, I’m going.” I turned and stalked from them. Sand rustled behind me, and calls for my name rang out. I didn’t know where I was going, but this was a small island. I was bound to find something if I walked long enough.
“Princess Gabrielle!”
“Love, wait!”
